


Fan of Your Work

by MisfitWriter



Series: BadThingsHappenBingo [1]
Category: Six (TV 2017)
Genre: Caulder whump, Gen, badthingshappenbingo on tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 12:23:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15119336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisfitWriter/pseuds/MisfitWriter
Summary: Snippet written for Bad Things Happen Bingo on Tumblr - prompt: Gunshot.Rip's shooter makes a visit to the next target on the list given to her by Michael.





	Fan of Your Work

A soft knock at the door drew Alex Caulder’s attention.  For a beat, he hoped that it would be Dawn, back after changing her mind and deciding she deserved to be happy again.  But no, that would be too much to ask for someone like him. He didn’t even feel worthy of the fledgling relationship he had with his daughter, let alone someone who had no blood ties to him outside of his team.   _ His team… _

 

Another knock, firmer this time, had the SEAL on his feet.  “Coming,” Alex called. A quick scan through his windows gave no indication of the identity of his visitor.  A brunette, looking to be in her mid twenties, stood on the other side of his door. “Can I help you?”

 

“Are you Alexander Caulder?”  As he took in the stranger, benign in appearance and tone of voice, warning bells began to sound in the back of his mind.  She stood with her hands behind her back, head angled to the side and small smile gracing her face. The look in her eyes, though, unsettled him more than the fact that he couldn’t see her hands. 

 

Movement over the woman’s shoulder caught Alex’s attention, and the look on Dharma’s face as she approached was enough to make his skin crawl.  Dharma seemed to read his uneasiness and hesitated, and relief flooded him. Fingers itched for the comforting weight of his service weapon; it was bad enough that he’d become complacent about his own safety during his recovery, but now that complacency put his daughter at risk, if his instincts were up to par.  He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her because of him.

 

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

 

“I’m...a fan of your work.  And I was hoping you might be familiar with some of mine?”

 

As her smile became sinister, and she began to move towards him, grim understanding clicked in his mind.   _ This _ ... _ this  _ was Rip’s shooter.  They’d been searching for a man, when the entire time it had been this unassuming girl.  Alex glanced around desperately for anything with which to defend himself, to protect his baby girl.

 

“Gun!” Dharma cried, yanking his focus back to what was right in front of him.  Alex let his instinct take over as the woman’s arm swung around, shoving it down and away from his face.  His fingers refused to obey, though -  _ fuckin’ injury - _ when he made to twist her wrist and force her to release the weapon.

 

The sharp retort of gunfire didn’t startle him.  The jerk of the bullet’s impact didn’t even startle him; it was the way that his attacker crumpled to the ground before him that left Alex Caulder bewildered.  The SEAL looked up to see Dharma, stance defensive and face pale, Glock clutched between trembling hands, and eyes locked on the still form on the ground between them.  

 

“Damn, Dhar...hell of a shot for someone who just started learning two weeks ago…”  As though his voice brought her back to reality, Dharma finally looked up at her father.  Alex read the shock in her eyes, and understood all too well the devastation of realizing you had taken a life for the first time.  “Dharma, hey, you with me? It’s over, kiddo, you can put the gun down.” Alex made to step forward, and hissed through his teeth in surprise.   _ Oh, right… _

 

“Dad?” The Glock was dropped on the table as his daughter seemed to snap out of her daze and into action, moving smoothly over the body and ushering Alex gently back into the kitchen.  Pain radiated from his lower left abdomen. “God, I didn’t realize…”

 

“Must’ve shot at the same time,” Alex offered, wincing as he eased into a chair and leaned back so that Dharma could get a look at his wound.  “T-there’s a med kit under the sink. I need you to bring it over here to me, and then call Bear.”

 

“N-no, Dad, you’re not going to treat this yourself,” Dharma argued, even as she complied. 

 

Alex took the kit from her, and watched her for a moment as she called his Team Leader from her cell.  “Just until you get Bear on his way here…”

 

“I need to be calling 9-1-1.”

 

“ _ I  _ need to know you are safe if I’m going to go to the hospital.  We don’t know who sent her, or if they’ll send someone else when she fails to report back to them, and I’m not going to trust anyone but my team with your safety.”  Keeping his braced hand pressed to the bleeding wound in his side, Alex dug through the kit until he found the alcohol. Dharma began chewing on her nail and stared at the floor as she waited for an answer.

 

“H-hey, Bear...we need you at my dad’s place…” Her eyes snapped back up to him when he cursed under his breath against the sting of the rubbing alcohol sterilizing the wound.  The blue gaze hardened. “Yeah...some crazy bitch showed up and shot him. She’s dead...but it’s bad. Please hurry…”

 

Shaky hands wrapped gently around his own, and Alex realized he must’ve faded out for a minute.  Dharma was bent over him, tugging the alcohol and gauze from his hands and then cradling his face.  “Dad? Please stay awake...you’re not allowed to run out on me again, you hear me? You got out of the first seventeen years of my life, not gonna be that lucky for the rest of it.  Bear’s on his way...I’m not above fighting dirty to keep you from passing out again before he gets here.”

 

Alex gave her a weak laugh and nodded.  “Not going anywhere, I promise. I was an idiot for walking away from you for so long...but I’m so proud of the woman you’re becoming... _ despite _ me.  I- _ ow!”  _ His indignant glare was mirrored in her eyes.

 

“No way are you giving me a deathbed confession right now, Caulder.  You promised you weren’t going to go anywhere, so you’re going to have to wait to tell me all this sentimental shit when you actually have breath to spare.  So do me a favor and shut it.”

 

Alex raised an amused brow and smirked.  Dharma watched him for a moment until she was sure he would obey.  By the time she began tending to his injury, her hands were steady and gentle.  “Dad...you need a hospital, seriously.” He winced when she applied pressure with fresh gauze.

 

“Once Bear gets here he can field dress it, and we will all go together.”  A car door slammed outside. In the span of a heartbeat, Alex was on his feet shielding Dharma with her gun in his hand.  Dharma’s hands gripped his shoulders.

 

“Blue, blue!” Bear’s voice preceded his imposing form in Alex’s doorway, and just as quickly as adrenaline had flooded his system to protect Dharma, it dissipated.  Dharma’s grip tightened when Alex swayed, suddenly lightheaded and weak. 

 

“Damnit, Dad, do you really think someone else coming after you would’ve let a car door slam?” Dharma snapped.  Bear rushed forward and ducked under Alex’s arm to guide him to the couch.

 

“Dharma, can you bring me the med kit and a bunch of towels?” Bear requested.  Once she turned away, the Senior Chief focused on his Second. “What the hell is going on?”  

 

“I think she’s the shooter,” Alex breathed as Bear eased him forward to look for an exit wound.  The hands on his back stilled. “Rip’s. She...only said she was a fan of my work...and hoped that I was familiar with hers.”  Dharma returned with the supplies, and Bear immediately got to work. Alex grimaced as his leader patched up the exit wound first, and then eased him to sit back against the couch.

 

“I think I got here right after she showed up...she pulled a gun on Dad, and I…”  Bear and Alex both looked up at Dharma, and Alex reached out for her hand. She took it and knelt beside him.

 

“You saved my life, Dhar.   _ Thank you _ .”  

 

“We should get going.  I’ve got you patched up, but I don’t know what kind of internal damage there might be.  I called Buddha on the way, the rest of the team will be here soon to secure the area and deal with this mess once the cops arrive.  Dharma, can you get the doors?”

 

Alex watched his daughter jump to her feet again, the task visibly helping her to focus and keep her emotions in check.  Bear put the supplies aside, and settled a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Thanks, brother.”

 

“You’ve got a hell of a kid, Caulder.  We’ll figure all of this out once we know you’re not bleeding out.  Ready to move?”

 

“Let’s do this.”  

 

Bear eased Alex’s arm around his shoulder and tugged him to his feet.  The change in altitude set the room into a violent tailspin, and the last thing he heard was his brother’s concerned  _ “shit, Alex!” _ before darkness dragged him under.


End file.
